City of Oaks Funeral Home & Cremation
Obituary
Lance Mangum
Fuquay Varina, North Carolina
Age 67.
Died 03/19/2026.
For 41 years, he worked at North Carolina State University in the Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department as an Information Technological Systems Administrator. During his time there he created the first website for his department and helped work on mechanisms that were used in NASA's Mars Mission Research Center (M2RC). He loved his time there and witnessed an incredible amount of change within his field.
Lance was Victoria’s true love. There's no telling how many times he told the story of how they met on Topsail Island 47 years ago. Growing up we knew the ice cream shop they frequented for dates and which beachside they spent all day talking while our dad was baking in the sun. He’d reminisce how he went home the next day covered in blisters, but laid in bed smiling because he was in love. Throughout their years together it was their faith that strengthened and sustained them. Their commitment to the vows they made to God and to each other was their highest priority.
He was our 'fix-it' guy. He could fix almost anything. If it could be taken apart, he could put it back together. When our sister, Rachel, was little she brought her balloon fragments to mom and stated with utmost confidence, "daddy can fix it." He rescued us on the side of the road many times. Whether there was a flat tire, snapped belt or overheating engine he knew what to do. We will miss holding a light over a foreign and confusing engine while our dad worked away and got our cars running again.
He loved many things in life including Star Trek, Camaros, music, and was an audiophile who also ran sound at church and for television studio recordings. However, his greatest love was for his Lord Jesus Christ. His faith was the most important thing in his life. He taught us to love the Lord and to live our lives for Him. He exhibited all the fruits of the Spirit and many can attest to the kind way in which he treated them. The last year of his life he spent time with Victoria working at a food ministry while enjoying helping the people that he met there every week.
Following a far too quick illness, Lance passed away surrounded by his family and was welcomed into Heaven by His Savior on March 19, 2026. He was deeply loved and will be immensely missed. We are so very thankful for the time that we had together and know that we will see him again one day.
He was preceded in death by his parents and brothers, Kent Mangum and Ron Mangum. He leaves behind his wife of 45 years, Victoria (Vickie) Mangum and four beautiful children, Abigail Costanzo and husband Tony, Elizabeth Pearce and husband Nathan, Rachel Mangum-Feliz and husband Caesar, Jonathan Mangum and wife, Amy. He also leaves behind 9 delightful grandchildren: Sarah, Alexandria, Chloe, Kailyn, Anna, Lyllyana, Joseph, Ryker and Grayson.
Please join us at the Celebration of Life service for Lance on Sunday, April 12, 2026 at 3:00 PM at the Fuquay-Varina Baptist Church located at 301 N Woodrow St., Fuquay-Varina, NC 27526.
For additional information or for service details, please reach out to the family directly.
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City of Oaks Cremation and Funeral Home is a full-service funeral home in Raleigh, serving all of North Carolina and beyond. We provide an alternative to costly funeral homes and every day we help families in Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill and all over North Carolina make simple, affordable funeral arrangements.
Simply having to reach out to a funeral home can feel overwhelming. Our goal is to simplify the entire funeral home experience and make the process as easy as possible. We hope to eliminate any unnecessary surprises by publishing our total cost and the services we provide directly on our website. All of our obituaries are provided free of charge as a way to help families celebrate and commemorate the lives of their loved ones.
Our Promise
Apples to Apples
Just like all other licensed funeral homes in North Carolina, City of Oaks Cremation, LLC is regulated by the NC Board of Funeral Service.
The same laws that apply to the big corporate funeral homes also apply to the modest independently owned firms like ours. All crematories in North Carolina, regardless of who owns them, are inspected annually by the state and must adhere to the same rules and laws.
Genuine Care
We're committed to providing families within our community unsurpassed service before, during and after the time of loss.
Our staff will provide clear communication to your family through each step as we move forward from the original phone call notifying us of a death to the time we deliver the urn back to your family. We will treat your family with the utmost respect, as we honor the wishes of your loved one.
We promise to make this process affordable and as endurable as possible.
State Wide
Our Funeral Home is located in Wake County NC; however, we provide our services to families throughout the entire State.
Unlike other funeral homes, we don't charge an additional mileage fee. Regardless of what county you live in, we can help your family with making simple, affordable funeral arrangements. From Asheville to Wilmington, we're proud to help families statewide.
Our Services
$1196.75
Nobody likes surprise costs added in at the last minute. We guarantee you will not find any hidden charges here. We include everything you need for a simple or direct cremation. Simple, affordable and reliable. We have not changed the cost of our direct cremation service since we opened City of Oaks in 2012.
$2875.66
We offer the option of choosing how you receive your loved ones remains. Selecting our Direct Cremation with Solidified Remains option is a beautiful way to transform cremated remains into 40-60 “stones” that you can hold.
$1917.84
City of Oaks Funeral Home and Cremation provides an affordable cremation option with onsite visitation. Nobody likes surprise costs added in at the last minute. We guarantee you will not find any hidden charges here. Simple, affordable and reliable.
$1596.75
City of Oaks Funeral Home and Cremation provides an affordable cremation with a private family viewing. A private family viewing allows up to 10 immediate family members or friends to spend time with a loved one when a public visitation is not preferred.
$2497.50
An immediate burial has the same end result as a traditional burial; however, we have eliminated the extra (sometimes unnecessary) services prior to getting to the cemetery. Not everyone wants an open casket for viewing or a limousine for the family. Despite the term immediate, we can move as fast as you need or as slow as you like. This option simply allows you to save money by eliminating some of the fancy extras at the funeral home.
$6081.48
We offer the same traditional funeral services as the big corporately owned funeral homes in the area; however, we cost about half the amount. You might consider a traditional funeral service if your family is looking for an open casket visitation, a traditional church service or a funeral service in the funeral home's chapel. A traditional funeral service can be altered to fit the needs of your family.
$3033.75
This establishment is one of a select number of funeral homes who meet the criteria for providing green funeral service by the Green Burial Council; a tax-exempt, nonprofit organization working to encourage environmentally sustainability in the field of funeral service. Our Green options allow for a funeral to take place without the use of toxic and non-biodegradable materials/chemicals.
$2640.59
As an alternative to traditional cremation, City of Oaks Funeral Home offers Alkaline Hydrolysis. The Alkaline Hydrolysis process uses a solution of water and potassium hydroxide to facilitate natural decomposition.